Contribute

The Spiritual Arts Foundation began as an online meetup group during the COVID period. At that time, people were looking for connection and meaning, and the group grew quite quickly. What started as something relatively simple soon developed into a lively online space where people were sharing ideas around spirituality and the arts.

As restrictions lifted, the group began meeting in person, and that added a whole new dimension. The in-person gatherings strengthened relationships and gave a stronger sense that something real was forming. From there, the decision was made to create a formal organisation, with incorporation taking place on a date to be inserted.

Alongside this, a significant amount of work went into building the website, which has become the central hub for everything. It now attracts around 30,000 unique visitors per month and contains close to 1,000 pages of content. In many ways, the website is the organisation — it is where people discover us, explore what we do, and engage with the work.

At the same time, there have been ongoing challenges. Many people have come forward wanting to help, which is encouraging, but coordinating that help has not been easy. Some people have not had the specific skills needed, others have not stayed very long, and often there are periods where help is not immediately required. One of the most difficult aspects has simply been keeping people engaged over time.

This is not a fast-moving organisation. It grows slowly and deliberately. There are not always lots of visible things happening all at once, and that can make it harder for people to stay connected unless their interest runs quite deep.

Over time, different systems have been tried to solve this. None have fully worked. The community hub you are now using is the latest attempt. It is part of a longer series of experiments aimed at finding a way to keep people engaged, connected, and involved — not just briefly, but over the long term. The aim has always been to create something that feels more like a family than a loose network, and each iteration gets a little closer, even if the problem has not been completely solved yet.

Summary

• Began as an online meetup during COVID and grew quickly
• Expanded into in-person meetings, strengthening the community
• Became a formal organisation with a large website at its centre
• Website attracts ~30,000 monthly visitors and hosts ~1,000 pages
• Many volunteers have come forward, but coordination and retention are difficult
• Growth is slow and requires sustained interest
• Community hub is the latest in a series of engagement experiments

Ways to Contribute

If you are seeing this, it means you have already joined as a member and taken the step of requesting to contribute. That is why this section has opened up to you.

What follows is a range of ways you can get involved. These are not rigid roles, but different levels of contribution. Some are very light-touch, simply helping you stay connected. Others require more time, initiative, and leadership.

It is also worth saying that you may not be needed immediately. There may be times where nothing much is asked of you for weeks or even months. That is just the nature of how this organisation works at the moment. The hope is that when something does arise, you are still around, still interested, and ready to step in.

Summary

• You are seeing this because you chose to contribute
• Different levels of involvement are available
• No pressure to do everything
• There may be gaps between opportunities to contribute
• Long-term presence is more valuable than short bursts

The first and simplest way to contribute is to join the Telegram group. This replaced the original WhatsApp group for a specific reason. With WhatsApp, when new people joined, they could not see what had been said before. They had no sense of the history, the conversations, or the people involved.

Telegram solves that. When you join, you can scroll back through everything — all the discussions, all the shared ideas, all the interactions. You immediately get a sense of what has been happening and who is part of the group.

We have also asked people to introduce themselves when they join. Not everyone has done this, but many have, so you can browse through and get a feel for who people are.

It is a space where you can ask questions, share links, post ideas, or simply observe. Even just reading through what is there can help you feel connected.

Summary

• Telegram replaced WhatsApp due to message history limitations
• Full history gives context and continuity
• Members often introduce themselves
• You can post, ask, share, or observe
• A key way to stay connected to the community

The Spiritual Arts Foundation is still evolving. It is not a finished structure with everything clearly defined. It is something that is being built gradually, shaped by the people who choose to stay involved.

There may be times when nothing much seems to be happening. There may be gaps where your skills are not immediately needed. That is part of the process at this stage.

What makes the difference is continuity — people who remain connected, who stay interested, and who are ready to contribute when the moment comes. Those are the people who ultimately help move things forward.

Summary

• The organisation is still evolving
• Progress can be slow and uneven
• There may be periods of low activity
• Staying engaged over time is key
• Contributors help shape what the Foundation becomes

Another way to get involved is by attending meetings. These are intended to be informal and social, a chance to get to know people and talk about how we can move things forward.

In reality, organising meetings has been quite difficult. People are in different locations, often in different time zones, and availability varies. To deal with this, we started using MeetShed. This allows multiple dates and times to be предложены, and people can indicate which ones they are available for. It then becomes clear which time works for the most people.

Even with that, it is not always possible to get everyone together, but we aim to include as many as we can. Meetings are usually held in the evening, somewhere between 7:00 and 9:30, and are hosted on Microsoft Teams, which we use because it allows meetings to run without time limits.

The idea is that people talk, share ideas, and potentially form smaller teams if needed.

Summary

• Meetings are informal and discussion-based
• Scheduling is managed using MeetShed
• Not everyone can always attend due to time zones
• Typically held in the evening on Microsoft Teams
• Focus on ideas, conversation, and collaboration

On the right hand side you will see one or more Contribute Hubs. These hubs are private and only visible to members who have been promoted to Contributors. Each hub focuses on a specific subject, and many of them will relate to the various requirements we have below.

To join a hub simply click ‘Join Hub’, and similarly to step down click ‘Leave Hub’.

A large portion of what we do is based on research. Because this is a new kind of organisation, much of what we are doing involves exploring unknown territory.

This means contributors are often working without detailed instructions. We do give feedback, but a lot of the work depends on people taking initiative — following their own lines of inquiry and bringing back what they find.

There is an important distinction here. It is not so much about asking “what should I do?” but rather saying “I’ve found this” or “have you thought about that?” The people who tend to do well in this area are those who are naturally proactive and curious.

Summary

• Research is central to progress
• Work is largely self-directed
• Contributors are expected to take initiative
• Less about being told what to do, more about discovering things
• Curiosity and proactivity are key

One area of focus is identifying high net worth individuals within the arts and media — people such as actors, musicians, writers, filmmakers, and others connected to creative industries.

An interesting pattern has emerged here. When we do reach people like this, especially those with a spiritual inclination, they almost always respond very positively. Often, they have been working in this space quietly, sometimes even feeling they have to hide that aspect of themselves to avoid being dismissed or misunderstood.

When they come across the Foundation, there is often a sense of relief — that something like this exists. That makes introductions relatively easy. The challenge is not the response, but finding them and obtaining their contact details.

The key task here is research: identifying who these people are, understanding their background, and most importantly, finding ways to contact them — ideally via email. That is the most valuable piece of information.

Summary

• Focus on influential people in arts and media
• Many already have a hidden or quiet spiritual interest
• Responses are often very positive when contact is made
• Main challenge is finding them and their contact details
• Email addresses are especially valuable
• Requires persistence and determination

Another major area is funding. This involves identifying organisations that offer grants and then applying for those grants.

This is more complex than simple research. It involves building a full proposal — defining a project, creating budgets, outlining timelines, and explaining why the project matters. Often, funding bodies are interested in projects that support people in need, such as those experiencing hardship or mental health challenges.

We have applied for funding before. For example, an application to the Paul Hamlyn Foundation was unsuccessful because they felt we were already too developed. Another application to the National Lottery Community Fund was rejected because we did not provide enough case studies about the people we were trying to help.

These experiences are useful. They show what is required and where improvements can be made.

Importantly, this is not an area where contributors should wait for instructions. The expectation is that someone takes ownership — chooses a direction, builds a proposal, and drives it forward.

Summary

• Identify funding bodies and grant opportunities
• Build detailed project proposals
• Applications require strong justification and structure
• Past attempts have provided useful lessons
• Long process with uncertain outcomes
• Contributors are expected to take the lead

We are also developing a spiritual record label called Spirit Songs. A lot of the groundwork has already been done. There is a catalogue of songs, singers ready to perform them, and the production capability to create and distribute the music.

Despite this, progress has been limited by a lack of industry connections and funding. We have previously contacted hundreds of record industry professionals and had some initial conversations, but nothing lasting has come from it.

This leaves us in a position where we have the creative side ready, but not the support network needed to take it further.

Research here involves finding the right people — those within the music or media industries who might be open to supporting or connecting with the project.

Summary

• Record label project is already well developed creatively
• Songs, singers, and production are in place
• Previous outreach has not yet led to results
• Lacks industry connections and funding
• Research focuses on finding supportive contacts

Finally, there is the ongoing task of finding new members — creatives working in areas such as visual art, music, writing, and film.

Some are easier to find than others. Artists, for example, are often quite visible and open about their work. Writers can be found through publishers. Musicians can be discovered through platforms like Bandcamp.

Filmmakers, however, are often much harder to identify, especially those with a spiritual focus, as they rarely describe their work in those terms.

This work involves searching, identifying, and inviting people to join. The more visible and credible the community becomes, the easier this process gets.

Summary

• Ongoing search for spiritually aligned creatives
• Artists and writers are easier to find than filmmakers
• Platforms like Etsy and Bandcamp are useful
• Filmmakers are the hardest to identify
• Strong members increase visibility and credibility